This is a study guide commentary which means
that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of
us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are
priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects (reading cycle #3).
Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above.
Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original
author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has
one and only one subject.

1. First paragraph

2. Second paragraph

3. Third paragraph

4. Etc.

CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS

A. It is difficult to find a unifying theme in this Psalm. It is
possibly an anthology of YHWH's acts on Israel's behalf (i.e., Exodus,
Conquest, establishment of temple in Jerusalem). The NASB Study Bible (p.
805) calls it "A processional liturgy celebrating the glorious and
triumphant rule of Israel's God." If this is correct, this Psalm is
similar to Nehemiah 9.

B. Some scholars see this Psalm as a composite with no theme.

1. NRSV, The New Oxford Annotated Bible (p. 728) says, "This is
the most difficult of the psalms to interpret, and there is no general
agreement either as to its meaning as a whole or in many of its details."

2. The UBS Handbook on Psalms (p. 577) says, "both as to
text and meaning this psalm is the most difficult of all psalms to
understand and interpret. There is no discernable unity in the
composition."

3. The Jewish Study Bible (p. 1353) says, "Its vocabulary
includes fifteen words found no where else in the Bible, plus other rare
words, adding to the difficulty of interpreting it. Indeed, much of it
remains obscure, and many consider it to be the most difficult psalm in
the Psalter."

Therefore, I would guess this Psalm is denoting a military victory with a
procession to the temple; date unsure!

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 68:1-41Let
God arise, let His enemies be scattered,And
let those who hate Him flee before Him.2As
smoke is driven away, so drive them away;As wax melts before the fire,So let the wicked perish before God.3But let the righteous be
glad; let them exult before God;Yes,
let them rejoice with gladness.4Sing
to God, sing praises to His name;Lift
up a song for Him who rides through the deserts,

Whose name is the Lord,
and exult before Him.

68:1-4 This first strophe has several Qalimperfects which may be used in a jussive sense. The verbs
"May. . ." and "Let. . ." are markers of this
grammatical form.

1. let God arise – BDB 877, KB 1086, Qalimperfect

2. let His enemies be scattered – BDB 806, KB 918, Qalimperfect

3. let those who hate Him flee before Him – BDB 630, KB 681, Qalimperfect

68:1 "Let God (Elohim). . .arise"
This could be understood in two senses.

1. arise from His throne so as to act

2. the ark of the covenant being carried into battle before the army
of Israel (cf. Num. 10:35)

68:2 Several metaphors of defeat.

1. like smoke evaporating

2. like smoke before a strong wind

3. like wax melting at YHWH's presence (cf. Ps. 97:5; Micah 1:4)

4. perishing (i.e., cause to vanish, BDB 1)

68:4 This verse has four imperatives
which denote the actions of the righteous.

1. sing to God – temple activity

2. sing praises to His name – temple activity

3. cast up a highway for Him – royal metaphor of preparation,
cf. Isa. 35:6-10; 40:3-4; 57:14; 62:10

4. exult before Him – temple activity

The unifying theme of this Psalm is temple worship (cf. Ps.
68:5,24-27,29,35).

▣ "who rides through the deserts"
The concept of YHWH riding on the clouds (cf. Ps. 68:33) is an allusion to
Ba'al, the storm god of the Canaanite pantheon who brought rain.
Often the titles of pagan gods are attributed to YHWH, who is the only
true God (cf. Deut. 33:26; Isa. 19:1).

The Targums, followed by the Peshitta and late King James, has "heaven,"
cf. Ps. 68:33.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 68:5-65A
father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows,Is God in His holy habitation.6God makes a home for the
lonely;He leads out the
prisoners into prosperity,Only
the rebellious dwell in a parched land.

68:5-6 Notice the types of persons God acts
as advocate on their behalf (i.e., Exod. 22:23).

for the poor and needy as contrasted with the permanent dwelling (BDB
1014, KB 1496, Qalperfect) of the
stubborn/rebellious who will not change (BDB 710, KB 770, Qalparticiple) and who will dwell in a "parched
land" (BDB 850, only here in the OT, but which is common imagery of
the lack of YHWH's presence and a sign of His judgment, cf. Ps. 78:17;
107:34,40).

▣ "the rebellious dwell in a parched
land" One wonders if these rebels are the same people referred
to in Ps. 68:1-2. But the context of Ps. 68:5-6 implies they are
unfaithful covenant Israelites.

Note that prosperity marks the faithful followers, while lack of rain
marks the rebels. This type of theology based on covenant obedience (cf.
Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 27-30) is known as "the two ways" (cf.
Ps. 68:7-10; Deut. 30:15-20; Psalm 1).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 68:7-107O
God, when You went forth before Your people,When You marched through the
wilderness, Selah.8The
earth quaked;The heavens
also dropped rain at the presence of God;Sinai itself quaked at the
presence of God, the God of Israel.9You
shed abroad a plentiful rain, O God;You
confirmed Your inheritance when it was parched.10Your creatures settled
in it;You provided in
Your goodness for the poor, O God.

68:7-10 The emphasis on "the two ways"
continues. This strophe seems to merge

2. the agricultural abundance of the Promised Land (i.e., the
trans-Jordan and Canaan)

68:7 "when You went forth before Your people"
This is an idiom of "holy war." The battles were YHWH's victory.
He went before His people into battle (cf. Jdgs. 4:14; 2 Sam. 5:24). This
was often symbolized as the ark of the covenant being carried by Levites
at the head of the army.

▣ "When You marched through the
wilderness" This implies the Wilderness Wandering Period (cf.
Jdgs. 5:4-5). YHWH protected, guided, provided all Israel needed as they
wandered some forty years before entering Canaan because of their unbelief
(cf. Numbers 13-14). YHWH was so attentive to Israel during this time that
the later rabbis called it "the honeymoon period between YHWH and
Israel."

▣ "Selah" See note at Psalm
3:2 and Introduction to Psalms, VII.

68:8 "The earth quaked" This was
both a metaphor for YHWH's presence (cf. Joel 2:10; Matt. 27:51) and a
literal physical manifestation of His presence (cf. Exod. 19:16-18; Jdgs.
5:4-5).

▣ Notice that "God of Sinai"
(i.e., the giving of the law, cf. Exodus 19-20) is parallel with the
"God of Israel." The author uses several different names for
"God" (see Contextual Insights, B, 4). The uniqueness of Israel
was the presence of YHWH (see
Special Topic: Monotheism) and His revelation of Himself
through deed, promise, and written revelation (the OT).

NASB"creatures settled in it"NKJV"Your congregation dwelt in it"NRSV"your flock found a dwelling in it"TEV"your people made their home there"LXX"your animals live in it"NJB"Your family found a home"JPSOA"Your tribe dwells there"

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 68:11-1411The
Lord gives the command;The
women who proclaim the good tidings are a great host:12"Kings of armies
flee, they flee,And she
who remains at home will divide the spoil!"13When you lie down among
the sheepfolds,You are
like the wings of a dove covered with silver,And its pinions with glistening
gold.14When
the Almighty scattered the kings there,It
was snowing in Zalmon.

68:11-14 This strophe, like Ps. 68:1-4 and
19-23, has a military theme. Because of Ps. 68:11b and 12b it may refer to
(1) Joshua's conquest of Canaan or (2) an invasion of Canaan/Israel that
was defeated.

68:11-12 This refers to the news of the
divinely-given victory. The quote of the women who bore the good news is
recorded in Ps. 68:12. Women rejoicing over a military victory and shouting
about God's acts is also recorded in the "Song of Miriam" in
Exod. 15:20-21.

7. the release of doves was part of the victory celebration (F. F.
Bruce, Answers to Questions, pp. 23-24)

▣ "sheepfolds" This word
(BDB 1046, KB 1637) is rare. This translation is based on Jdgs. 5:16. A
similar word is found in Ezek. 40:43, translated "hooks." It
could mean "cooking fire" or "cooking pot" (BDB 1046).

68:14 "the Almighty" See
Contextual Insights, B, 4).

NASB, NRSV"there"NKJV"in it"

The MT has a feminine preposition (BDB 88)
which seems to link back to Ps. 68:10 (i.e., the place where the community
of YHWH's inheritance dwells).

▣ "Zalmon" This is a
mountain near Shechem (cf. Jdgs. 9:48). BDB suggests it refers to a
mountain east of the Jordan. This is because of the name "Bashan"
in Ps. 68:15.

The NJB translates it as "Dark Mountain," because of an Akkadian
root related to one of David's men from the tribe Benjamin (cf. 2 Sam.
23:28).

The ABD (p. 1039) adds a third suggestion, that it comes from an Arabic
root meaning "light" or "splendor."

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 68:15-1815A
mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan;A mountain of many peaks is
the mountain of Bashan.16Why
do you look with envy, O mountains with many peaks,At the mountain which God has
desired for His abode?Surely
the Lord will dwell there forever.17The chariots of God are
myriads, thousands upon thousands;The
Lord is among them as at Sinai, in holiness.18You have ascended on
high, You have led captive Your captives;You have received gifts among men,Even among the rebellious
also, that the Lord God may dwell there.

68:15-18 This strophe is about Mt. Sinai
(i.e., Mt. Horeb) as God's special dwelling place. Other mountains of
other nations are jealous (cf. Ps. 68:16).

The Hebrew term Elohim (BDB 43) can be used in an intensive sense
(BDB 43, #2c, cf. Job 1:16).

This same mountain is called "a mountain of many peaks"
in the next line of poetry. This term (BDB 148, KB 174) is found only here
in the OT. It may mean

1. many peaks (i.e., a mountain range)

2. round peak

68:16b,c Usually YHWH"s permanent
dwelling place is the ark of the covenant, which came to abide in
Jerusalem on Mt. Moriah (cf. Deut. 12:5; Ps. 87:1-2; 132:13-14), but here
we are speaking of the Exodus. YHWH manifested Himself on Mt. Sinai/Mt.
Horeb (cf. Exodus 19-20), where He gave the law to Moses before there was
an ark of the covenant.

▣ "look with envy" This is a
personification of the jealous mountains of Bashan. The verb (BDB 952, KB 1280, Pielimperfect) is found only here in the OT. It is used
in a similar way in Ecclesiasticus 14:22 ("observe stealthily").

68:17 The imagery of this verse alludes to
Deut. 33:2-5, where it denoted YHWH coming to Sinai with His holy angelic
entourage (cf. Dan. 7:10; Rev. 5:11).

YHWH used Mt. Sinai as the location to meet Israel in a covenant-making
revelation, but He chose Mt. Moriah in Jerusalem as the place for His
presence (i.e., the ark of the covenant) to dwell permanently (cf. Ps.
68:16).

▣ "thousands upon thousands"
This is a Hebrew construct of BDB 48 and 1041.
The second word is found only here in the OT. BDB defines it as "repetition"
or "redoubled." The context and parallelism help define the
term.
See
Special Topic: Thousand (eleph).

68:18 In context this refers to God

1. going to the top of Mt. Sinai

2. as a military metaphor of tribute paid the victor

Paul quotes this verse in Eph. 4:8, but from a Targum translation that
changes "received" to "give." This noticeably alters
the meaning of the MT. The Peshitta has

"Thou has blessed men with gifts; but rebellious men shall not dwell
before the presence of God."

It is surely possible that the implication of the MT is that God receives
the gifts of the nations and redistributes them to His people (see Gleason
Archer, Encyclopedia of Bibld Difficulties, pp. 404-405).

The rabbis saw Psalm 68 as related to YHWH giving the law to Moses on Mt.
Sinai. They would have interpreted the "received/given" dynamic
as referring to the Mosaic Law, but Paul saw it as the new age in Christ.
He empowers His church with new revelation (cf. G. B. Caird, The
Language and Imagery of the Bible, p. 170).

In the context of Ps. 68:15-18, verse 18 must refer to YHWH's "holy
war," whereby the enemies of Israel, both in transit (i.e.,
wilderness wanderings) and the conquest of Canaan, are defeated. This may
be an allusion to "the blessings of Moses" in Deuteronomy 33
being extended to the later conquest and habitation of Canaan.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 68:19-2319Blessed
be the Lord, who daily bears our burden,The
God who is our salvation. Selah.20God is to us a God of
deliverances;And to God the Lord belong escapes from death.21Surely God will shatter
the head of His enemies,The
hairy crown of him who goes on in his guilty deeds.22The Lord said, "I
will bring them back from Bashan.I
will bring them back from the depths of the sea;23That your foot may
shatter them in blood,The
tongue of your dogs may have its portion from your enemies."

68:19-23 Because "Bashan" is
mentioned in Ps. 68:15 and 22, there must be a connection between the
military-oriented strophes of Ps. 68:11-14 and 19-23. There are several
obvious truths.

68:20-23 These verses emphasize YHWH's
deliverance of the Israelite army (some died but most were saved). Their
enemies may run but they cannot escape (cf. Ps. 68:22; Amos 9:1-4).

Psalm 68:23 contains idioms of defeat and shame.

1. bathe your feet in blood (cf. Ps. 58:10; common idiom in Canaanite
literature used of Ba'al and Anath)

2. dogs eat the dead enemy soldiers (cf. 1 Kgs. 21:19; Jer. 15:3)

68:21 "the hairy crown" This is
imagery for a person's scalp (cf. Deut. 32:42). Long hair was an OT symbol
of dedication to God (cf. Numbers 6), but here of defeated enemies,
possibly referring to their dedication to a pagan god and refusal to
acknowledge YHWH.

68:22 "from Bashan" It is
difficult to know if "Bashan" (BDB 143, בשׁן)
should be

1. linked to Ps. 68:15 as a geographical location

2. emended to בתן, a Ugaritic root for "serpent,"
which would parallel "the depths of the sea" in the next line
(NEB, cf. Amos 9:3, where the same parallelism occurs with the Hebrew word
for "serpent"). The "depths" are also linked to the
Exodus where YHWH split the sea and Pharaoh's elite bodyguard drowned (cf.
Exod. 15:5; Neh. 9:11).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 68:24-2724They
have seen Your procession, O God,The
procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary.25The singers went on,
the musicians after them,In
the midst of the maidens beating tambourines.26Bless God in the
congregations,Even
the Lord, you who are of the fountain
of Israel.27There
is Benjamin, the youngest, ruling them,The
princes of Judah in their throng,The
princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali.

68:24-27 This strophe describes a procession
to the temple. Possibly the ark, which was taken into battle, is returned.

There are several groups mentioned or implied in the throng.

1. the Israeli king as a representative of YHWH, the true King

2. Levitical singers and musicians

3. maidens with tambourines (cf. Exod. 15:20; Jdgs. 11:34; Jer. 31:4)

4. the thirteen tribes represented by

a. Benjamin

b. Judah

c. Zebulun

d. Naphtali

68:24

NASB, NKJV"They have seen"NRSV"are seen"TEV"seen
by all"NJB"for all to see"JPSOA"Men see"

The question is, who sees? Is it the Israelite worshiper or all the
opposing nations? The strophe implies Israel but the Psalm as a whole
implies "the nations" (cf. Ps. 68:28-31, 32-35).

▣ "the fountain of Israel"
This is a unique phrase. It seems to refer to YHWH's calling of the
Patriarchs and His involvement in their barren wives having children. The
only oblique possible parallel reference is found in Isa. 48:1.

68:27 There has been much speculation about
why only some tribes are mentioned. I think there are three possibilities.

1. they represent the entire Promised Land

a. Judah and Benjamin the south (i.e., Judah)

b. Zebulun and Naphtali the north (i.e., Israel)

2. they represent the wives of Jacob (i.e., source of the 13 tribes)

a. Rachel

(1) Judah

(2) Benjamin

b. Leah – Zebulun

c. Bilhah – Naphtali

d. Zelph – no child listed

3. they represent the smallest tribe to the largest

▣ "the youngest" The MT has
"the least of them" (BDB 859 I). This could mean

1. Benjamin the youngest son of Rachel

2. a small tribe, but Israel's first king, Saul, came from it

NASB"in their throng"NKJV"and their company"NRSV"in a body"TEV"with
their group"NJB"in
bright-colored robes"JPSOA"who
command them"

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 68:28-3128Your
God has commanded your strength;Show
Yourself strong, O God, who have acted on our behalf.29Because of Your temple
at JerusalemKings will
bring gifts to You.30Rebuke
the beasts in the reeds,The
herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples,Trampling under foot the pieces of
silver;He has scattered
the peoples who delight in war.31Envoys
will come out of Egypt;Ethiopia
will quickly stretch out her hands to God.

68:28-31 This strophe is somehow related to
YHWH's defeat of Egypt. It is uncertain whether it is the Exodus or a
later military invasion.

However, with the defeat comes a wonderful offer to come worship YHWH in
Jerusalem (cf. Ps. 68:31; Isa. 19:19-22; 45:14). It is this universal
emphasis (cf. Ps. 68:32-35) that links Psalm 65-68.

68:28 The power/strength (BDB 738) is God's
and He has displayed it on behalf of His people to attract the nations to
Himself.

The MT has a preposition that could be
understood in several ways. It seems to allude to Ps. 68:1, where YHWH
rises for action on behalf of Israel in battle.

68:30 "rebuke" This is a Qalimperative (BDB 172, KB 199). This term is
used of God's judgment of the nations in Ps. 9:5; Isa. 17:13. It seems to
be used here of Egypt (cf. Ezek. 29:3; 32:2; possibly Isa. 27:1). She and
the nations to the south (i.e., Ethiopia/Cush) are both specifically named
in Ps. 68:31.

The MT has "stamp," "tread," "foul by
stamping/treading" (BDB 952, KB 1279, cf. Pro. 25:26). The same root
(in an imperative form) means "to humble
yourself." Possibly both meanings allude to Ezek. 32:2 or 34:18,
where this same verb is used of Egypt being
humbled.

▣ "the pieces of silver"
Again rare words or textual corruptions have caused the English
translations to be uncertain.

It is possible to emend it to בצר (BDB 131 I), which
means "precious ore" (cf. Job 22:24, cf. NIDOTTE, vol. 1, pp.
699-700), possibly "gold." If so, then a translation of the line
of poetry (Ps. 68:30c) would be "bowed down with gold and silver"
(i.e., a tribute to YHWH).

68:31

NASB, NKJV,REB, LXX"Envoys
will come out of Egypt"NRSV"Let
bronze be brought from Egypt"TEV"Ambassadors
will come from Egypt"NJB"from
Egypt nobles will come"JPSOA"tribute
bearers shall come from Egypt"

The UBS Text Project (p. 297) gives "things of bronze" (BDB 365)
a "B" rating (some doubt). It occurs only here in the OT. The
other translations follow ancient versions and rabbinical speculation.

It is possible to see Ps. 68:30c and Ps. 68:31a,b as referring to tribute
brought to God by North African nations (JPSOA).

1. gold

2. silver

3. bronze

▣ "will quickly stretch out her hands to
God" This fits the understanding of the previous note. There
is no need to emend the verb "run"
(BDB 930, KB 1207, Hiphilimperfect) to
"stretch out" (NEB) when the MT is an idiom of the same reality.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 68:32-3532Sing
to God, O kingdoms of the earth,Sing
praises to the Lord, Selah.33To
Him who rides upon the highest heavens, which are from ancient times;Behold, He speaks forth with His
voice, a mighty voice.34Ascribe
strength to God;His
majesty is over IsraelAnd
His strength is in the skies.35O
God, You are awesome from Your sanctuary.The God of Israel Himself gives
strength and power to the people.Blessed
be God!

68:32-35 This strophe reinforces the
universal worship of YHWH in Jerusalem alluded to in verse 31.